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Mother, Wife, Student

Re “A.B., with a Baby: J.C. Alvarez ’77” (podcast, posted Oct. 20 at PAW Online): I want to thank J.C. Alvarez for sharing her story. I had a similar experience at Princeton. I was an older female transfer student in the Class of ’79 and came to the campus with 7-year-old twin boys. I lived in Princeton Junction and had a very difficult time juggling my roles as mother, wife, and student. For the most part, I felt the students accepted me, but the professors did not. Some were openly hostile. To make matters worse, my children were anything but quiet. When I brought them to school, it never turned out well.

There were three people on campus who helped me tremendously. One was a graduate student, Ed Holmes *80; another was an administrative dean (whose name I can’t remember); and the last was the director of continuing education, Mary Ellen Capek. Without their support and guidance, I would have been totally lost. I have never gone to a reunion. J.C., your story is making me rethink that decision.